Do big stadium tours cost that much more than back then?

[MarkOne]

I've been spending some of my Christmas downtime cataloguing and organising a lot of music files on my NAS, sorting out artwork thumbnails etc...

This has got me reminiscing as I pass some of the big tour live albums in my collection that were of tours where I was in the audience.

I remember seeing bands at Wembley Stadium, or the NEC, or Knebworth, Reading, etc throughout the 80s, 90s and early 2000s.

And back then we weren't particularly well off, (particularly in the 80s) but I don't remember us having an existential crisis, about whether we could afford tickets. I even remember buying tickets for us and 2 or 3 friends and not needing a bank loan until they reimbursed me. My memory is that a big concert ticket was maybe two or three times the cost of a CD.

And some of those shows were huge, Genesis for instance redefined the stadium gig with their moving jumbotrons and a lighting system that could totally reconfigure itself during the set. (they even bought the VariLight company to get the system they wanted)

So here I am in my 60s, not badly off financially (relative to back then). So why are big stadium/arena tickets so much now, that I just can't justify the cost?

Have costs of putting on such a show just gone up that much, or are these tours just a massive cash cow?

I guess they know what the market can stand, because these big shows are still selling out even at several hundred pounds a ticket.

[amanise]

I'd say it's a mixture of real cost issues like internet ticketing malpractice, and your own perception of what an acceptable expense is as you've aged. Your values will be much affected by your time of life both then and now. Also, life is much more expensive now, for everyone, which includes all the people working on every aspect of the tour. You pay that in your ticket price.

So a mixture of real cost increases, your own changing perceptions, and chiselling internet beestards ruining the arts we .love and grew up on.

[The Red Bladder]

It's everything! Back when you were young, there was little or no meaningful contingency insurance - now it is a MAJOR cost. And artists cry-off a concert for the daftest reasons - "My guitars got lost!" being one I have heard. He refused to play replacement guitars - and it was his fault that they got lost!

Then there is the venue and all the crowd insurance costs, medical personnel costs, firemen, safety people, police - the list just goes on and on!

The promoter has to find half the payment to the act IN ADVANCE. That means today a few million down payment on booking - and that booking may be two or more years in advance. The balance is usually payable in the form of a cashier's cheque halfway through the concert. The banking (inc. interest) costs are huge.

Then there is the cost of the musicians themselves - even the session and tour musicians cost real money, some over $10k a week - and they need hotels, airplanes, rehearsals, food, drink - all in, you are looking at about $25k a week per tour musician.

Then there is the core act - and their costs and expectations. And that often involves all kinds of people, some of whom have left the act but still remain owners of that brand. Some may even have died years ago, but they have heirs and they want to be paid!

And last but by no means least, there's the crew. Lighting, sound, rigging, staging - one tour I worked at had about 50 trucks of stuff, including three very large generators from Rolls Royce. And of course, in most countries, you need local officials inspecting and signing-off all the construction that has been put up by qualified riggers led by master riggers, master site electricians, etc., etc.

It used to be four or five guys plus a handful of crew and a handful of venue staff. Now it is a huge circus. And the promoter has no guarantee that they are going to cover their costs - so they have to make a substantial profit.

[BigRedX]

IMO it has got a lot to do with the fact that the live show is no longer promotion for the recordings but is now the main product. Previously popular bands and their record labels could afford to put on extravagant live shows safe in the knowledge that as a result they would sell more than enough albums to make a sizeable profit overall. IIRC in the 20th Century, most tours lost money.

When the show becomes the main source of income, but the audience expect ever-increasing levels of spectacle, it is hardly surprising that ticket prices have increased massively, as for the majority of artists playing live is now where they make their money.

[Arpangel]

And last but by no means least, there's the crew. Lighting, sound, rigging, staging - one tour I worked at had about 50 trucks of stuff, including three very large generators from Rolls Royce. And of course, in most countries, you need local officials inspecting and signing-off all the construction that has been put up by qualified riggers led by master riggers, master site electricians, etc., etc.

It used to be four or five guys plus a handful of crew and a handful of venue staff. Now it is a huge circus. And the promoter has no guarantee that they are going to cover their costs - so they have to make a substantial profit.

I must be a record company dream, my whole rig goes into a Sainsburys "Sturdy Bag" and the bang for buck would be no less, maybe more, than 50 trucks worth of "stuff".

Come on all you stars, that's all b******s and you know it.

[N i g e l]

Ive recently watched/read/listened to some articles on how much smaller bands have lost on tour.
A recurring theme seems to be price increases from 2019 on.
Especially hotel bills and Brexit.

uTuber Mary Spender's detailed piece on losing £30k is interesting.
They are at the level above sleeping in the van & have a small entourage.

[Sam Spoons]

Its a good video, interesting and a bit of an eye opener. The actual loss was about £12k, her expenses were £32k in all. It's not quite as simple as that but watch the video for the details.

I like MS, she's a good presenter, a nice player and seems very down to earth.

[Hugh Robjohns]

I can well believe the loss, although she did make a few big blunders in the process. Without those she may well have done rather better. But yes, the costs of touring — even just eating, sleeping and travel — are very significant these days.

[N i g e l]

a similar story from Orla Gartland

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y923k2pwro

and more recent general info...

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/202 ... swift-eras